Study finds AI-assisted therapy viewed as less trustworthy than traditional approaches

Public perception of mental health therapists who use AI in their practice remains largely negative, with people viewing AI-assisted therapy as potentially less trustworthy and empathetic than traditional approaches. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on physicians found that patients generally rated AI-using doctors as less competent and trustworthy, suggesting similar challenges await therapists as they increasingly integrate artificial intelligence into mental health services.

The big picture: The mental health profession is gradually shifting from a traditional therapist-patient relationship to a therapist-AI-patient triad, but public acceptance lags behind the technology’s capabilities.

• Over 400 million weekly ChatGPT users already engage AI for mental health guidance, indicating some familiarity with AI-assisted therapy concepts.
• Most therapists currently using AI are still in the early adoption phase, making public perception studies particularly valuable for guiding implementation strategies.

Why this matters: As AI becomes standard practice in therapy, professionals who don’t adapt risk being left behind, while early adopters face the challenge of educating skeptical clients about the benefits.

• The shift mirrors broader healthcare AI adoption, where initial resistance eventually gives way to widespread acceptance and expectation.
• Understanding public perception helps therapists communicate more effectively about their AI integration strategies.

Types of AI usage in therapy: Research identifies three distinct categories that generate different levels of public concern.

• Administrative AI usage typically faces the least resistance, as clients expect streamlined booking, billing, and scheduling processes.
• Diagnostic and therapeutic AI applications raise more significant concerns about replacing human empathy and personalized care.
• Clients worry that AI might overshadow the therapist’s attention or compromise the personalized service they’re paying for.

Key client concerns: Prospective therapy clients are asking critical questions about AI integration that therapists must address transparently.

• Whether therapists have thoughtfully integrated AI or simply added it without careful consideration of therapeutic impact.
• How AI usage affects data protection and information privacy, particularly given the sensitive nature of mental health conversations.
• Whether AI represents genuine value-added capabilities or merely a fee-increasing marketing tactic.

The transition ahead: Public acceptance will evolve from initial skepticism to eventual expectation as AI becomes ubiquitous in mental health services.

• Therapists will eventually compete based on the quality of their AI integration rather than justifying AI usage itself.
• Those who delay adoption risk becoming fringe practitioners as AI-assisted therapy becomes the standard of care.

What experts recommend: Mental health professionals should begin preparing for AI integration now rather than waiting for broader acceptance.

• Transparency about AI usage purposes and limitations helps build client trust and understanding.
• As Lance Eliot, a Forbes AI columnist, notes, following Dwight D. Eisenhower’s advice: “Neither a wise person nor a brave person lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over them.”